


Herald of Destiny

by Rainbow820



Series: Geraskier Week 2020 [7]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Bird Jaskier, Day 7:Destiny, Geraskier Week, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22812427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainbow820/pseuds/Rainbow820
Summary: In the woods, Geralt finds his destiny when his child surprise collides with him and asks about the mage he bound to himself. He did not expect the interruption of an eerily familiar feeling bird chirping at them rather loudly and persistently. Those linked by destiny always find each other.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: Geraskier Week 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1634809
Comments: 4
Kudos: 316





	Herald of Destiny

Ciri hears a larks song and opens her eyes to see a woman over her. She looks around and gasps into the woman's dress. Sitting beside a dead body is a lark that appears to be made of gold, blue eyes shining as the sun bears down on it lighting it up. She knows the poems, larks are heralds. She is in the right place.

"Yennefer" Ciri hears shouted over and over and she sits up leaving out the house her grandmother's last words ringing in her ears. She sees the golden lark in the woods and runs to it. It lifts and flies and she picks her dress up eyes up and runs faster after it.

She sees Geralt and her eyes drop the bird and she runs and collides with him. Geralt wraps his arms around his child surprise, "People linked by destiny will always find each other" he breaths out his chest relaxing and she pulls back and asks who Yennefer is.

A loud chirp interrupts. Multiple chirps and a bird yellow as gold is sitting on a tree watching them.

Geralt looks back to Ciri. "I saw it. Yesterday it was why I stayed, they say larks are heralds. I came here to you" Ciri tells him and the bird chirps as if to agree. Geralt growls and tries to bat it away but the bird just lands on his forearm.

Geralt meets the all too familiar blue eyes of the bird and shakes his head and then his arm.

The bird flutters but lands on his shoulder biting at his hair. "That may be true but why it is bothering us" Geralt growls at the bird who just tugs on a strand of hair making him growl louder.

Ciri looks confused as Geralt is and he just sighs. “Do you um know the bird?” Ciri asks.

“It’s a bird,” he says blinking at her and the bird chirps loudly pulling on his hair and jumping up and down. It is more gold than yellow and he looks like no bird Ciri has seen before.

“You do know him?” Ciri asks looking into the blue of the bird's eyes. The bird nods its little head jumping in Geralt’s shoulder again.

“Bring us something that will tell us who you are” Geralt sighs not having any idea what to do it if it is an actual person that has been turned into a bird.

The bird flaps off and Geralt turns back to Ciri. “Hold on. I want to know about the lark” she says grasping his hand. They walk out of the woods after where the lark went. The bird returns and it drops yellow flowers at their feet. “Buttercups that mean anything-” Ciri trails off watching Geralt hold his other hand out.

The bird land and Geralt looks so sad. “Jaskier” he breaths out. If Ciri wasn’t paying attention she would have missed it but Jaskier is another word for buttercup she supposes.

“My friend, how did this happen?” Geralt asks and bird preens at the word friend and then nips his fingers dropping to the dirt. He seems to focus and draws a triangle and an oval with maybe those are wings. Geralt is nodding and he draws a line and Geralt is still nodding like this means anything.

He draws a circle and that looks like a lute. He scratches it out and draws something else. A circle and two more triangles. And a u-shape with an x in the middle.

“After the dragon hunt you went down the mountain and elves stole your lute and cursed you,” Geralt says and to Ciri’s astonishment the lark nods.

“Why?” She asks and he draws a circle with four points over the lute.

“The elf kings lute they know the song assumed you stole his lute or something of likes” Geralt guesses and the lark chirps.

“Jaskier can you understand us perfectly?” she asks and he nods bowing his head to her and pecking the little crown he drew and adds a C beside it. He knows her too.

“He was the bard at your parent's betrothal, the reason I was there” Geralt mumbles and sees the farmers. He gets rid of the drawings with his foot and Jaskier flutters to his shoulder silent.

The man looks shocked at the solid gold bird with striking blue eyes on the shoulder of the witcher. "Thank you for your help-" Geralt begins an arm around Ciri's shoulders.

“Where did that bird come from?” the man who drove him asks.

“He’s mine, he followed” Geralt responds and the lark nudges his jaw and flutters against him. Geralt knows that means he’s annoyed. A year apart from his bard and he can still understand him even in fucking bird form.

"I saw it when I found the girl," the wife says obviously suspicious.

"Fiona" Ciri whispers to Geralt. He steps further in front of her Jaskier flutters down to her shoulder and stares at them.

"My daughter Fiona, we are even merchant. I saved your life you saved mine" Geralt says and Ciri smiles slightly and the lark nudges her chin. She gasps from the coldness of it and pets him. He does not just look like solid gold, he is. She supposes he is rather heavy but she had no basis of how big a lark really is. She looks down at the talons which are razor-sharp gold and so gently relaxed against her shoulder.

The woman walks forward and Geralt turns to cover Ciri more but she squeezes his hand and feels the slight squeeze of Jaskier's talons. "He's my father, please do not make him fight you," she says softly and they back up. Geralt goes for his bag and Jaskier is sitting still on Ciri's shoulder basically glaring at the farmers.

Geralt slings his pack over his shoulder and returns throwing an arm over Ciri's shoulder letting Jaskier hop up to his shoulder and they walk off into the forest.

Jaskier brings them rabbits and licks the blood from his talons ripping at what Geralt tosses him. They reach Sodden and Geralt tells them both to stay in the trees. Ciri lifts her hood up and waves to the lark. Jaskier hops under her hair his golden visage not exactly subtle.

Geralt screams for Yennefer and meets her old teacher who leaves still screaming for Yennefer. That tells Geralt all he needs to know, Yennefer is not here any longer but she was.

He returns to Ciri tucked behind some bushes and watches Jaskier creep out from under her hair. They follow him out of the forest towards southern lands.

They get a brown horse Geralt names Roach and she’s stubborn and bites at anyone who isn’t them. Geralt rides with Ciri in front of him and Jaskier flies around or sits on Roach.

“How long after the mountain was it?” Geralt asks Jaskier one night as they head towards Kaer Morhen. The bird tilts his head and closes his talon over two of Geralt’s fingers.

“Two days?” Geralt asks and Jaskier squawks which he’s learned to mean no. “Two weeks?” He tries and Jaskier chirps an affirmation. Geralt sighs and pets the metal cool feathers of his lark.

Jaskier traces a Y into his palm and he sighs. “I wish I knew Jas” he frowns. “No idea how to make it wear off,” Geralt asks and he can tell Jaskier is rolling his eyes.

Ciri comes back from changing her dress and leans against Geralt and pets Jaskier.

She is threading dandelions together and gasps. “You’re the bard that came to my birthdays. Dandelion” she says and he chirps nodding and drops the crown on her head.

Geralt looks at him shocked and Jaskier ruffles his feathers in a way that tells them he is shrugging. Even now his lark, literally, is so expressive.

He flies back to Geralt’s shoulder nuzzling him before sitting up and chirping at the sight of an owl peeking its head out.

Geralt glares at the owl the birds will attack smaller birds. He does not want to fend predator birds away from Jaskier. But Jaskier is drawing in the dirt with a talon and it’s Oxenfurt he’s spelling out.

“Feel like detouring through Redania?” Ciri asks and Geralt sighs nodding.

* * *

They reach the college and Jaskier flies them to a room labeled Master Julian A. Pankratz. Geralt wiggles the door open and they are in an office collecting dust with instruments of all sorts, a telescope, a map of the continent, an abacus, and dozens of piles of books. Papers are everywhere and paintings as well.

He chirps at a door that they open and it is a bedroom with even more instruments and books but they’re all poetry.

“You’re a professor” Ciri whispers and Jaskier chirps at a diploma on the wall.

The highest honors achieved for the master of the seven liberal arts Viscount Julian Alfred Pankratz.

That alone tells her more about Jaskier than Geralt ever mentioned.

They watch as Jaskier hops around and chirps at them to open things before he pulls out a seal that means nothing to them nor is it one Geralt recognizes. They stay to leave but Jaskier pulls on Ciri’s hair and points a talon at the bed.

“What” she cries and he slams his talon down raking it across his desk and lets out a shrill cry.

“Gods Jaskier enough” Geralt snaps but Ciri sits on his massive bed and stares at the painting above, it is of a very naked woman.

Jaskier hops over and nuzzles the painting before tugging a rope and a curtain falls.

“Must be your countess de Stael?” Geralt wagers and Jaskier chirps sitting on his shoulder.

They leave Jaskier pointing with a wing to a wall and Geralt stops but Jaskier chirps and flies through it. Geralt blinks and follows the bird. They make it into the main room before there is a knife on Jaskier who squawks and Geralt holds up a seal wagering that would work better than a sword.

“Fuck is this really Julian,” the man says eyes wide and Geralt nods hesitantly having no idea what the hell this is.

He holds his arm out and Jaskier hops to it without hesitation. “Do not move” he orders Geralt who growls but Jaskier tilts his head to Geralt pleading. He stands back but locks his senses onto the lark.

He hears shimmering and a woman laughing. Geralt’s medallion burns and he knows that voice. Phillipa Eilhart- Jaskier is a fucking spy.

The lark almost looks guilty as the sorceress comes out the lark on his shoulder.

She’s stronger than Yenn she told her that herself. She can turn into an owl, she killed her king, she follows no guild but the spies she works with.

She runs a finger down Jaskier’s spine and grins sharply as a shark at him.

“He’s stuck like this because I have no idea what the elf curse was so I would get on that if I were you. You can leave him with us if you wish. We would take care of him he’s one of us” she says and Jaskier looks relaxed. Like he would be fine here.

“He’ll come with me if he chooses it,” Geralt says and Jaskier chirps hopping over.

“Come find me when you are you again Julian. I want to study this curse” she says and with a shimmer of silver, she is gone. Jaskier rubs against Geralt before he launches at the young man and digs his talons into his neck and screeches.

He’s left gasping and bleeding and Geralt follows after Jaskier back to his office.

“What the fuck” Geralt hisses wiping the blood from Jaskier’s talons.

He doesn’t look considered and does that shrugging ruffle before flying over to Ciri who is looking at poetry for the countess.

“She is your fiancée that’s why you see her so often,” Ciri says and Jaskier brushes her cheek with a wing and nods. He chirps sadly and pecks one poem detailing a woman too good for a man she is promised to.

He drags a portrait out by his beak from his desk of the countess and a man who his thin and tall with curled blond hair and the same eyes as Jaskier.

“You had blond hair?” Geralt asks and Jaksier chirps. It’s clear to them he was. He was a lot of things long ago.

He takes the seal from Geralt and hides it away again.

They leave the room Jaskier hopping up and down and chirping as he points at a silk store.

“They won’t let in birds Jask,” Ciri says and he lets out a mournful squawk but settles down against Geralt’s shoulder-rubbing his jaw with his head.

Geralt hmms into it knowing how it vibrates for Jaskier pleases him.

They walk towards Roach and Jaskier hops onto her head and she shakes her head playfully while Ciri climbs up. Geralt swings up behind her and smiles at Jaskier who hops to his shoulder.

They set off and the lark drops to his thigh talons digging in lightly as he rests. Geralt worries his lips thinking about how often Jaskier sleeps. It must require incredible energy for his brain to work at the same capacity as a human. He hopes there are no negative consequences to this.

They really need to find some elves.

* * *

Jaskier watches his companions sleep when he sees a very familiar woman in the lake a little bit away from them. He hops from where he was resting on Geralt's chest and flies to the lake. He chirps and she raises her head, violet eyes landing on him.

"What a brilliant creature you are" she breaths out and he hops up and down chirping and takes to the sky looping. She walks from the lake and with a wave of her hand she is dry and in a purple silk dress that stops at her calves, good for forest travel.

"Jaskier?" Geralt's voice shouts and he sounds panicked. Yennefer hesitates but looks to the sky and sees the golden lark circling. Heralds of fate indeed.

Ciri yelps seeing a woman striding towards them. “Yenn” Geralt shouts and she smirks at them.

She strides forward and Jaskier chirps at her landing on Geralt's shoulder. “Oh no please tell me your lark is not an actual lark now,” she says and Geralt shrugs.

“You’re Yennefer” Ciri whispers and she raises an eyebrow. “I’m Ciri, Geralt’s child surprise” she introduces holding her hand out.

“Ah,” Yennefer nods shaking his hand and kissing the back. “I see you do have crows feet now” Yennefer laughs and gets nipped at but he lets her pet his back.

“I suppose you can’t turn him back,” Geralt says and she looks offended and then surprised.

“I can’t and how do you know that?” Yennefer asks holding her hand flat and Jaskier hops into it.

“We met another sorceress who could not either,” Geralt says and Yennefer scoffs.

“Not many who are strong as me” Yennefer sneers and Jaskier chirps and bows at Geralt.

“It was Phillipa Eilhart. Jaskier is in her spies guild” Geralt tells her and she frowns.

“Well then I am sorry old friend but if she could not help Jaskier no one can. She knows bird transformation better than anyone. Do you know who cast the curse?” Yennefer asks.

“Elves” Ciri pipes up and Jaskier chirps in agreement.

“Well, you did write a song about Geralt slaying them,” Yennefer says and Jaskier nips at her palm. She laughs and he hops to her shoulder and just like that she is with them.

Ciri sits with Jaskier as he prunes his wings and watches Yennefer and Geralt discuss something quietly. She slaps him and he bows his head. Yennefer walks over to them and Geralt holds his arm out in a way to beckon Jaskier.

The lark flies over and they walk even further away.

“I may have been informed by Yennefer that I owe you an apology,” Geralt says and Jaskier tilts his head. “I told her about the mountain and I wanted to do this in person but good as we get right now,” Geralt says rubbing a knuckle on Jaskier’s head.

He chirps softly and nips at his finger. “I didn’t mean any of it Jaskier. You lead me to where I needed to be. I am so sorry for what I said. I missed you and I looked for you a few months later but” Geralt says and Jaskier nuzzles him.

He chirps a few times and Geralt knows he’s saying he forgives him.

“I will fix you Jaskier. I promise you” Geralt says and Jaskier does that shrug ruffle of his feathers and hops to Geralt’s shoulder tugging on his hair.

Geralt smiles softly and walks back towards Yenn and Ciri.

Jaskier flies over to Yennefer and nuzzles her cheek before landing on Ciri’s lap.

* * *

In the next town, they didn’t consider a small village's reaction to a Witcher and a bird made of gold.

“I bet it would fetch a pretty penny,” one man says and his brother slaps him.

“Yeah is that before or after the Witcher kills you for attacking his bird?” he scoffs and Jaskier ducks under Geralt’s hood with him.

Geralt feels the way his feathers flutter and his body shakes and wonders how often his lark was hunted.

He brushes his head and keeps walking adjusting his hood so Jaskier isn’t as easy to spot.

They get their provisions and two rooms. Yennefer and Ciri take one while Geralt and Jaskier get one to share even if Jaskier takes up much less space now.

Geralt goes for a bath and Jaskier drops mint leafs into the water. Geralt smiles at him and holds a hand out of the water.

Jaskier hops next to it and nuzzles him. “Were you hunted my sweet lark?” Geralt asks and Jaskier does that shrugging ruffle and continues nuzzling Geralt’s hand. “We will keep you safe Jask, I promise,” Geralt says and Jaskier chirps.

Geralt feels more at ease to speak to him like this. He always did respond to animals better even if he logically knows it’s still his bard.

The sound of a lute being played drift up to them and Jaskier squawks sadly.

“You can still sing can you not?” Geralt asks him and Jaskier preens and starts to sing.

Geralt lets out a full-bodied laugh when he recognizes what Jaskier is trying to sing. Toss a coin to your Witcher loses a certain meaning when in a bird's voice.

Jaskier bats him with a wing and Geralt splashed him with water his laugh continuing as Jaskier flutters into the air cawing in annoyance.

Geralt smiles widely and holds a palm up for Jaskier to sit on. The lark nips his skin but starts to chirp more like a regular birds song. He rests in the water his smile never leaving his face as Jaskier sings to him.

* * *

“Sirens” Yennefer whispers and blocks Ciri’s ears with a spell. She is immune and Geralt is as well.

The siren starts singing loudly and the town is responding walking closer to the river.

The siren clearly came too far upstream for maybe just enough.

Jaskier flits to a tree away from the river and opens his mouth.

Yennefer grunts from the song that comes from his mouth her mind spinning.

Geralt can see the glittering magic pour from the lark and the people sway in place and flock towards the lark.

Geralt marches towards the siren who looks furious and shrieks.

Jaskier just sings louder and animals are moving closer to him.

“Fucking elves,” Yennefer says holding Ciri and the Siren’s head is gone.

Jaskier crescendos and the spell breaks the animals turning away and the people look confused.

“That lark it ensnared us” a woman shrieks and they go to throw rocks but Yennefer stops them with a wave of her hand. Geralt runs back and pulls his steel sword.

“We will kill for that lark so go home” Yennefer warns them.

Jaskier hops down to Ciri’s shoulder and she pets him. “Did you know you could do that?” Yennefer asks and Jaskier chirps nodding.

“How,” Geralt says confused and Jaskier makes a movement with his wing like he was strumming his lute. “Your lute could too” be mumbles and Jaskier nods. Geralt groans he had the elven king's lute, of course, it was imbued with magic.

But he never used it or he would have been killed long ago.

Geralt sighs and they return to the path. Winter is creeping up and they need to reach Kaer Morhen.

* * *

When they crest the witcher's path to Kaer Morhen Yennefer can’t help but recall her own schooling at Aretuza. She shakes her head and they ride to the stables.

Yennefer walks her shoes crafted to allow her to feel no pain but she has no time to make that for them so Geralt and Ciri ride Roach.

Jaskier still catches them dinner and sings to wake them up when the sun rises or if there is danger.

“Pretty bird you got there Geralt” Lambert calls eyes fixed on him. “Gold feathers, wonder how much he’s worth” he grins.

“More than your life” Geralt growls and Jaskier nips his hair before flapping to Yennefer’s shoulder.

“Please tell me that is just a golden bird and not an enchanted person,” Lambert says straightening up and Geralt just grunts. “Of course it is” he sighs head in his hands.

“Going to introduce us to your friends?” Vesemir asks.

“Yenn, Ciri this is Vesemir my teacher and Lambert a fellow Witcher,” Geralt says.

“You mean brother and father,” Lambert says with a wink and turns to the women.

“Yennefer of Vengeburg” Yennefer says striding forward and Jaskier rubs her jaw.

“Cirilla of Cintra,” she says and they know she’s the princess.

“And your lark?” Vesemir asks.

“Jaskier” Geralt sighs.

“Ooh, you did mention him once or twice. Your songbird is actually a songbird now” Eskel says hoping down from one of the walls.

“Eskel another brother” Geralt sighs and they nod to him before they are shown to their rooms.

Vesemir watches Jaskier chirp and squawk at Ciri as she practices knife throwing and Geralt comes beside him. “You wouldn’t know where to find elves would you?” Geralt asks and Vesemir shakes his head.

“Yennefer might be able to find them,” Lambert says and they turn to him. “He was transformed using elf magic surely she can trace them by using a feather” he says and Jaskier chirps fluttering.

Geralt finds Yennefer in the alchemy lab and explains to her the idea and hands her a feather from Jaskier.

It is gold and so precious but it dissolves just the same as she chants.

“The ruins of the silver towers,” she says and Geralt nods. “I think I’ll miss the chirps instead of the biting words,” Yennefer says bitterly.

“I think he might tease you still Yenn but he definitely does not hate you,” Geralt tells her and she nods turning back to her work.

Geralt walks back to the training grounds and Jaskier is letting out shill shrieks and Eskel is threatening to shoot him with a bow.

“Jask,” he says and the lark is silent and flies over to him and lands on his outstretched arm. “The silver tower ruins. The elves that cursed you are there” Geralt says and Jaskier chirps and hops up to his shoulder.

“Bring him home so I can hear him really sing again,” Ciri says and Geralt nods hugging her goodbye.

Geralt goes to get ready and Jaskier flies away from him. When he gets to the stables he sees his golden lark on Roach’s saddle.

He hops to her head and Geralt climbs up and sets off with his lark.

They reach the silver towers and Jaskier is on his shoulders looking around. He pulls a black tunic from his saddlebag and Jaskier nuzzles him as they walk up to the gates.

“What business do you have here Witcher!” A guard elf shouts.

“Is Filavandrel here?” Geralt asks and they narrow their eyes but let him in.

He is lead to the king who laughs seeing Jaskier. “Ah, I had hoped to see him again. I have something of his” the king says dressed in silks and a female elf with a pinched smile steps forward.

She looks at the ground and Jaskier flutters down. Geralt watches as she snaps her long fingers and just like that a spell too powerful for two of the strongest mages is undone.

A flurry of golden feathers fall to the ground and Jaskier is left in the center as they fall in a circle. Geralt kneels and hands him his tunic.

Jaskier pulls it over his head and stands before his legs begin to shake and he falls into Geralt’s waiting arms. Resting against his Witcher’s chest he watches as the elf king smiles and stands.

He holds up the lute and Jaskier goes to ask for it. “Ple- ack,” Jaskier says and starts coughing.

“Hush. You will get used to being a man just as you got used to being a songbird. I apologize for the misunderstanding I believe this belongs to you” Filavandrel tells him softly.

Jaskier extends his neck and the elf king drapes the lute strap over it and is rests against him. Geralt tucks an arm under Jaskier’s arms and the other under his knees.

He lifts him with ease and Jaskier blinks at him letting out a startled squawk. He lifts his arm and it over Geralt’s head and grips Geralt’s neck.

“Thank you,” Geralt says immensely please he did not need to fight the elves.

He would have for Jaskier. He would do a lot for him.

Geralt walks them back to where he tied up Roach and she licks Jaskier’s cheek before Geralt can get him up on the saddle.

Geralt turns hearing an elf striding up behind him. It’s the guard who let them in.

“You should have these,” he says and Geralt looks in the bag. It’s Jaskier’s golden feathers.

Geralt nods and tucks them in a saddlebag and smiles as he puts the lute in its rightful place. He climbs up and holds Jaskier to his chest.

* * *

When they return it’s late and Jaskier has just gotten the hang of walking again.

Geralt lights the lantern in his room and turns to see Jaskier against the door.

His eyes travel up his long pale trembling legs up to the hem of Geralt’s shirt that dips so sinfully low down his chest and slips off a pale shoulder.

Jaskier gives him a grin and Geralt growls tugging him closer and kisses him deeply. Jaskier lets out a chirp and goes reds

Geralt laughs and presses Jaskier to the bed and listens to his lark sing to him with a human voice.

Birds singing wakes Geralt up but he turns to see his bard very much human with the sunlight casting a glow over him. Jaskier slowly opens his beautiful blue eyes and wipes the sleep from them yawing and sitting up. Geralt sits up as well and leans Jaskier against his chest.

“Good morning Geralt,” Jaskier greets and his voice does not sound so shaky. “Oh how much I have missed the sound” Jaskier laughs fingers dancing over his neck.

“How did you find Ciri?” Geralt asks him.

“Those linked by destiny will always find each other Geralt. After all these years do you not believe us to be linked” Jaskier asks.

“But Ciri is mine,” Geralt says and Jaskier smiles shrugging.

“I went to the battle too. I saw her and I knew where to bring her. I always know where to bring you don’t I, even if you’re an ungrateful bastard” Jaskier smiles at him.

“They call larks heralds” Geralt smiles raising an eyebrow.

“An elf turned me into the embodiment of my spirit which was a solid gold lark. Do you remember what I said about destiny Geralt? About why we find each other when we do” he asks.

“A souls desire to grow” Geralt nods and kisses him once more.

“I would love to remain here with you but there are some very lovely people I would like to see and your brothers,” Jaskier says and Geralt laughs kissing his cheek.

“Whatever pleases you little lark.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this one. We all love and use the nickname so I figured why not turn Jaskier into a lark. And the forest of (convenience) destiny brought them together. Did I spend the day listening to a larks song while I wrote this, maybe? But I think it was worth it. They have really unique songs to other birds if you're interested in that sort of thing. Anyways we're coming up on the end of our journey here in Geraskier week but I have lots planned for these two. 
> 
> Love,
> 
> Rainbow820


End file.
